HC Deb 19 April 1978 vol 948 cc141-2W
Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give for the longest and most convenient stated period of time the number of students and others as classified who have entered the United Kingdom for stated purposes and periods of time, who have stayed on and been allowed to remain permanently or for indefinite periods; from which countries they originated; how many persons have appealed against being sent back to their home country and been successful and unsuccessful in such appeals; in how many cases he has granted settlement against the Appeal Board's recommendation; and in respect of how many persons recommended by the courts for deportation he has declined to operate the court's recommendation.

Dr. Summerskill

Detailed figures, by country of citizenship or nationality, of the number of students and others admitted and the number of people accepted for settlement in various categories are published in the annual Command Papers, the latest of which is "Control of Immigration, Statstics, 1977" (Cmnd. 7160). The number of people accepted for settlement on removal of time limit is recorded by the reason for acceptance and not by the individual's entry category.

During the period 1st January 1973 to 31st December 1977, 17,361 appeals made under the provisions of the Immigration Act 1971 against a refusal to vary leave to enter were referred to the appellate authorities; and during the period 595 such appeals were allowed and 8,385 dismissed. During the period, it was decided in 592 cases not to act on a court's recommendation for deportation.

I regret that information about the number of cases in which settlement was granted contrary to the recommendation of the appellate authorities is not available.